Introducing pink lettuce

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is fueled by FlapJacked, the Official Breakfast Sponsor of the Morning Chalk Up. CrossFit is all about variety. And so too is FlapJacked’s newest product, the Build Your Own Mighty Muffin Variety Pack. Customize your very own 12-pack across 10 different Mighty Muffin flavors and get it delivered straight to your door with FREE SHIPPING.

3 days until Regionals starts. 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill

YOUR SALAD (AND YOUR GRAM) JUST GOT A PRETTY UPGRADE.

The story.

You know we’re always here to bring you updates on ridiculous but somehow endearing food trends. Avocado-everything might be news of the past — enter millennial pink lettuce. Given that rose gold has been all the rage lately (like the highly sought-after Reebok Grace), are we really surprised?

Wait, really?

What might seem like an absurd trend actually grew from a really interesting and unique process. The crop is called Radicchio del Veneto and it’s technically a chicory which gives it a more bitter flavor than your typical leafy greens.

They pluck this plant in the fall, then replant it into complete darkness- sometimes they even cover it up with sand. The pitch dark conditions block sunlight from the stem, which renders the leaf a pale pink. Pretty cool, huh?

But why?

We don’t know. Doesn’t really matter, though, it’s making IG feeds look damn good.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who’s looking for a real bruiser WOD to get in some Murph prep…

You’re in luck. For Armed Forces Day (May 19), Hire Heroes USA is organizing a nationwide fundraiser that literally any CrossFitter or box can join in on. The challenge is to run 5 miles and complete 19 burpees per mile. You could even spice this up with a weight vest or as a partner (light) sandbag carry. 

P.S. May 19th is a Saturday and an easy day to transform your class into a fun partner WOD for a good cause. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Senator, CrossFit Owner and Running for Congress

State Senator William Timmons is also the owner of Swamp Rabbit CrossFit in Greenville, SC. Now he’s running to serve in the U.S. Congress.

REPRESENT. 

HEAR: Max Greenfield

Max Greenfield, A.K.A Schmidt from New Girl, hangs out with Pat Sherwood and Rory McKernan for an episode on how the tv star got started with CrossFit and how he balances a demanding career with parenting and fitness.

TUNE IN.

EAT: Gluten-Free Quiche with Sweet Potato Crust

This delcious sweet-potato crust quiche with green yogurt is a total breakfast game changer. 

THE OVEN IS ALREADY ON.

BUY: Atlantic Sockeye Salmon Deal

This deal only exists while supplies last so don’t wait. Start your first order of grass-fed beef and free range chicken from ButcherBox and they’ll include two pounds of Atlantic Sockeye Salmon for free.

DID SOMEONE SAY FREE SALMON?!

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is fueled by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• MURPH-A-THON — Shaun Gardner from CrossFit Raeford is back for another round of 24 hours of Murph. Last year, Shaun completed 10 rounds of Murph in 24 hours. And no he’s not just doing this for fun or to show off; he’s raising money for families of fallen wounded special operations personnel. 
• A SECOND CHANCE — Arielle Armstrong put her dreams of making it to Regionals on hold so she could finish up her Masters degree. But then her once-a-day noon training sessions turned into seventh in her Region. Now the 24-year-old is heading to the South Regional this weekend to trowdown for a chance to make it to Madison. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

RXBAR just added three new flavors: Peanut Butter and Berries, Chocolate Hazlenut, and Mango Pineapple • Four questions with Patrick Vellner • Fourteen-year-old Maddy Espinoza, who qualified for her first CrossFit Games, also
qualified for Youth nationals last weekend with a 159kg/250 pound total • Brooke Wells graduated • Hafthor Bjornsson became the first man in history to win the Arnold Classic, Europe’s Strongest Man and the World’s Strongest Man all in the same year • Here’s how to watch Regionals live. 

…and this marriage proposal at CrossFit Progression is all the feels. 

Sheila Barden sets high expectations for this week’s South Regional…“Our goal is not to win the South Regional, our goal is to dominate the region. Our goal is to win every event. Our goal is to set multiple event records. Our goal is to prove that we came ready to play. See you on the dance floor in five days.”

Tia Wright on positive thinking… “At the root of all this fitness, the reason it is so valuable is because we face opportunities everyday to improve our fitness and ourselves. But these opportunities are often disguised in HARD workouts and challenging movements, or tasks we don’t want to do, or just a really scary workout…The power of positivity is really in WHOLE, pieces of positivity are powerful, but the goal is to be impenetrably positive. CrossFit workouts are hard physically, they tax the body. As a result it brings the mind to the surface to do the work and complete the task…When
you think you have NOTHING left physically, you are given an opportunity to LEARN to be positive. Remember, being positive comes from our unconscious. I want you to feel it, and let your mind be positive before it even comes out of your mouth or to into that stream of conscious thought.”

12 Labours Takes a Year Off — 12 Labours CrossFit has been a staple of Mid-Atlantic competitive CrossFit at both Regionals and the Games. For the four years they’ve competed at the Games, 12 Labours has finished in the top 10 every year with their best finish being second place in 2016. This year they’re rallying around one of their coaches, Josh Arcona, as he takes on the Atlantic competition as an individual. 

2018 Senior Pan Ams — Alyssa Ritchey and Hayley Reichardt kicked things off for Team USA yesterday.

— Alyssa Ritchey went three for three in the snatch with a 78kg/171 pound fourth place performance. It looks like Alyssa hit her 98kg/216 pound clean and jerk but did not medal.

— Hayley Reichardt hit her 71kg/156 pound opening snatch but missed her second and third snatch attempts. Hayley also hit a 95kg/209 pound clean and jerk. 

— Up Next: Derrick Johnson at 10:30 AM ET, CJ Cummings at 3:30 PM ET, and Caitlin Hogan at 1:00 PM ET. Link to live stream.

“Mom Wins Obesity and Diabetes Battle” by Ross Coughlan, CrossFit Journal

Liz Cromwell always puts her family first: She’s currently caring for her eight children as well as her husband, who suffers from spinal stenosis.

After a painful nine months of pregnancy followed by the stillbirth of her ninth child, Cromwell says she hit rock bottom. She discovered she was a Type 2 diabetic, gained weight and suffered from severe depression.

“I have to always be fighting to stay on top for my family because I know if I’m gone then it’s gonna be a struggle. That is why I just decided that I need to do something for me,” says Cromwell.

After trying months of boot-camp-style workouts yet failing to see much progress, Liz finally found Eton CrossFit and instantly knew it was the thing she needed to change her entire life.

“We’ve got an amazing, amazing, amazing community—very supportive. … Once I walk into that box, it’s a great release,” says Cromwell, whose fitness has improved dramatically since she started training.

5/18 – 5/20: East Regional (Albany, NY)

5/18 – 5/20: Europe Regional (Berlin, Germany)

5/18 – 5/20: South Regional (Salt Lake City, UT)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19: Spring Fling Partner Throwdown (San Anselmo, CA)

5/19: SilverFox Masters Competition (San Clemente, CA)

5/19: Ultimate Fitness Championship (Kennewick, WA)

5/19: Warriors Hope 2018 (Greenwood, IN)

5/19: T-Town Throwdown (Tifton, GA)

5/19: Murph for Muts (Peachtree Corners, GA)

5/19: Firehawks Scorch Trials (Rio Rancho, NM)

5/19: Denton Fitness Festival (Denton, TX)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/20: Europe Regional After Party Sponsored by FITAID (Berlin, Germany)

5/25 – 5/27: West Regional (Del Mar, CA)

5/25 – 5/27: Central Regional (Nashville, TN)

5/25 – 5/27: Latin America Regional (Rio de Janiero, Brazil)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)

5/26: Strong AF Against MF (East Windsor, CT)

5/27 – 5/28: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Southborough, MA)

6/1 – 6/3: Atlantic Regional (West Palm Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Meridian Regional (Madrid, Spain)

6/1 – 6/3: Pacific Regional (Sydney, Australia)

6/2: Kegs and Kilos (Manhattan, KS)

6/2: Long Island Masters (Hauppauge, NY)

6/2: Texas WOD Fest (Houston, TX)

6/2: Tacos and Tequila Throwdown (Highlands Ranch, CO)

6/2: Meshugge CrossFit Summer Melee (Overland Park, KS)

6/3: Summer Sizzler Individual Masters Competition (Burlington, MA)

6/8 – 6/9: Bricktown Throwdown (Bricktown, OKC)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/9: Gulf Coast Games (Mandeville, LA)

6/9: WOD Wars 6 (Humble, TX)

6/9: Big Orange Brawl (Knoxville, TN)

6/9: Heroes of the Platform (Meridian, ID)

6/9: Triple Crown Fitness Event (Greenville, NC)

6/9 – 6/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

6/9 – 6/10: Alaka’i SUPER Summer Slam (Kapolei, HI)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/16: East Coast War (Wilmington, NC)

6/19: Gauntlett VIII – River Rumble (Portsmouth, OH)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23: HAMCO Heat (McLeansboro, IL)

6/23: The Greenville Games (Greenville, SC)

6/23: The Burn Out (New Bern, NC)

6/23: Battle of the Border (Phenix City, AL)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)

6/23 – 6/24: The Dakota Games (Fargo, ND)

6/30: Summer Stampede (Bethlehem, PA)